Olive The Little Warrior — A One-Year Gotcha Day Celebration
I would like to introduce everyone to Olive. She is a previous LLA foster (formerly known as Feyre) that now lives with her foster mom! Olive is one of the most resilient axolotls to have stepped into our rescue. Below we will cover her incredible rehabilitation process.
Olive arrived at the rescue with approximately 35 of her siblings—hatchlings that were about to be flushed down the toilet. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts most of her siblings passed over the course of a few months, which we presumed was a failure to thrive within the clutch.
(Olive and some of her clutch mates at time of intake.)
A few months after their intake, Olive was transferred to a new foster mom. She had assumed given her age that she would be at least 3 inches long. She was however surprised to find what appeared to be a baby about one inch in length! She was anemic and lacked all color besides her eyes. She had little to no filaments on her gills. She had a gimpy leg with some fused toes as well. It was looking like a failure to thrive case. She was monitored very closely.
(Olive at time of transfer to her second foster home; at 3+ months of age)
The images below show Olive’s first few days with her new foster mom.
At first, she wouldn’t eat much besides a nibble. As her actual size was unknown prior to pickup, proper foods were being sent to her foster. She refused brine shrimp and daphnia before the blackworms arrived. It turns out blackworms are Olive’s absolute FAVORITE! For 3 months straight she had 24/7 access to blackworms. Blackworms are a wonderful staple food for axolotls that are gaining weight, growing, picky, or actively sick; they are loaded with nutrients!
When she was finally chunky, pink, and growing (about 3-4 months into her rehab process), she was switched off of blackworms and onto cut up european nightcrawlers (a more common adult staple food). She was definitely hesitant at first, and waited to see if she’d get blackworms for holding out, but she came around!
Three months after coming to her new foster mom, Olive was adopted by her! She grew to be 5.5 inches at 1.5 years old. She had her own 20 gallon long tank to herself, and happily accepted her worms (whole now!) daily. She was very social and came to say hello every chance she got.
A few months later Olive had grown to be 7 inches! She was officially big enough to join her sisters in the big girl tank!
On February 2nd, 2026 Olive had her first gotcha day - her one year anniversary in her forever home! She continues to blow us all away with her progress and growth, and has turned into the most adorable little lady!
How you can help
If Olive’s journey moved you, here are practical ways to support more rescues like hers:
Foster: We always need experienced and new fosters who can provide species‑appropriate care.
Donate: Funds help us buy specialized foods, water test kits, and medical supplies.
Share: Spread Olive’s story on social media to raise awareness about axolotl rescue needs.
Adopt responsibly: If you’re considering an axolotl, research species needs and adopt from reputable rescues.
Donate or learn about fostering for Libertyland today (note: we currently work with fosters in MA, RI, CT, NH and NY only)!
